title: Successful management of portopulmonary hypertension with beraprost.
abstract: Portopulmonary hypertension is a complication of chronic liver disease, which has significant effects on survival and prognosis. Although the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension has been well known, portopulmonary hypertension is often underestimated in patients with chronic liver disease. Every clinician who manages patients with chronic liver disease complaining of dyspnea should consider portopulmonary hypertension because this disorder requires special treatment. Herein, a 40-year-old woman with liver cirrhosis who complained of dyspnea on exercise is presented. She was diagnosed with portopulmonary hypertension by echocardiography and right-heart catheterization. Beraprost was used to reduce the pulmonary arterial pressure and improve the symptoms. Her symptoms were improved after 2 weeks, and improved symptoms and reduced pulmonary arterial pressure were sustained for 18 months.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University, Gil Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eui Joo
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Mi-Seung
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Kyong Yong
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Myeong Gun
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwen Chul
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Yae Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Bong Roung
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Wook-Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Tae Hoon
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: In Suck
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Eak Kyun
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; C048081:beraprost; D011464:Epoprostenol